Marley Kent and the School of Magic
by SteveTheNarwhal
Summary: Marley Kent has never lived an ordinary life. But her life is about to get even more unusual when a stranger turns up with a letter addressed to her. Next Generation.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All credit goes to JKR.

The hairs on Marley's neck stood on end as she weaved her way through the crowds. Blending seamlessly with the waves of people, she slipped towards the man she had been eyeing since she had first taken her mark. She reached her hand out and—

She felt it again. She craned her neck around, but could see no one even giving her a second glance. Typical for a nondescript, too-skinny, undersized eleven year old, and perfect for her trade. But for some reason, today Marley felt watched.

Uneasy now, but determined not to come back to the gang empty-handed, Marley sidled in once more. She carefully reached out and grabbed the man's wallet with the tips of her fingers. Just as she was pulling it out, she looked up.

And she saw him. A middle-aged man, tall and broad shouldered, wearing (for some reason) galoshes and suspenders. And he was staring right at her.

She braced herself for the "Stop, thief!" and the inevitable chase that followed. But he continued to avidly stare at her, as though waiting for her to do a trick.

Thoroughly unnerved, Marley stepped back. This was a mistake.

"What do you think you're doing?" the man who had been her mark said angrily. Then he glanced down at her hand, which (she realized belatedly) was holding his wallet. She ran.

Ignoring the bellows coming from behind her, Marley darted into the nearest alleyway, almost knocking down a boy half her size.

"Watch it, Porter," he tried to growl at her, an effect slightly ruined when his voice cracked on the second syllable.

"Watch yourself, Robbie," she sneered. Her immediate repulsion helped steady her nerves.

"Don't call me that," he muttered in what he clearly thought was a menacing tone. "It's Riptide." The youngest of the gang, he was constantly trying to get the older kids to take him seriously. His beady little eyes narrowed.

"That for Rafe?" He looked at the wallet with raised eyebrows. Marley pushed away her whirling thoughts (Who was that man? What did he want with her? Was he a—) and nodded.

The two children slipped through the damp, dingy alleyways that made up their sliver of London. After making so many turns a passerby would have thought they were lost, they approached an old, decrepit apartment building that looked as though it was a refuge for rats and not much else. Marley walked up to a small side door with peeling green paint. Before she could knock, the door swung open.

"About time you got here," Sam scowled. A towheaded boy with a bad attitude, he towered over her. "Any longer and Rafe would have started killing people for a quid. He needs a fix." Marley ignored him and stepped inside. This was how it worked— they went out and stole, and Rafe, the leader of the gang of misfits, fed his drug habit.

Rafe was angrily swearing at Amy, the only other girl in the group, when she entered. When he raised his hand to hit her, Marley stepped forward.

"Rafe— I got it," she called. He turned, and smiled as he caught the wallet she tossed him.

"Marley Porter— the best little thief in the business," he laughed. Then he walked outside. No one wondered where he was going.

Marley slumped to the ground. All of her worries cam rushing back. The fear of her past catching up to her, her uncertain future, so dependent on the whims of a drug addict— and that man today. Why had he been staring at her?

It took her a second to realize Amy had been talking to her.

"A man was by here earlier," she said. Marley was about to tune her out again when she added, "He was looking for you."

Marley felt chills run up and down her spine. "Looking for me? Did he— did he say why?"

Any looked bored. Anything that didn't relate to drugs or boys did not interest her. "No, but he did mention he had a letter for you. He said he'd stop by again later."

Marley's instincts were telling her to clear out. She didn't know how this strange man had found her, but she knew he was bad news— her gut had never been wrong before.

She stood up hastily. "I'm going for a walk," she said in response to Amy's puzzled stare.

"Rafe won't like it," Amy warned.

"The h-ll with Rafe," she said recklessly, turning and racing out the door before any of the group could stop her.

"Have to get away… make a plan…" She chanted to herself as she walked quickly down the alleyways she had become so familiar with over the year.

She spotted the Underground station ahead. It was now just a simple matter of stealing a fare. But as she went to step out the alley and into the safety of the crowd, a large hand grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Marley Kent?" A man's voice, deep and loud, came from over her shoulder. "I've been looking for you."

**A/N: Please review! I do not accept PMs. **


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR.

Marley froze. This was it, the moment she had been dreading. They had found her.

"Marley?" The voice seemed uncertain now. "Miss Kent?"

This man knew her last name. Marley's futile hope that this was just a undercover officer out looking for pickpockets shriveled and died. She turned around with her heart in her throat.

It was the man she had seen earlier, the one who had been staring at her so oddly. He looked even more peculiar up close, his weird assortment of clothes clashing horribly. It was as though he had dressed himself with his eyes closed.

"Miss Kent." He cleared his throat and took his hand off of her shoulder.

"My name is Professor Longbottom," he said gently.

Marley was confused by the title "Professor" (did it mean the same thing as mister, or something like executioner?) but decided not to dwell on it. Instead she continued to watch him, taking in his every move. He was tall, with long legs, and would catch her in an instance if she just ran. But if he was distracted…

"Marley?" She realized he had been talking to her for several seconds. "As I said, I have a letter for you." As he reached into the pocket of his suspenders, presumably to get the letter, Marley saw her chance. She ran, ducking underneath the professor's arms and fleeing desperately towards the alley she had come from. She knew this part of London like the back of her hand. She could vanish, starting over with a new name and buying herself some time before they tracked her down again. Marley cursed. How had they found her this time? She had been so careful—

But before she had properly lost herself in the filthy backstreets of London, she heard running footsteps and shouts behind her. Oh, bugger it, she thought, racing as fast as she could. She managed another ten steps, and tripped on a loose cobblestone. She went flying through the air.

She hit the ground hard, and immediately rolled over and onto her feet. She swore to herself. Her leg was bleeding, and the footsteps were getting closer. She was clearly not going to win any races injured like this. There was only one option… she would have to break her oath. She tried to recall how to do it.

Focus. Focus. She let the pain and anger amplify her emotions, and then pushed them towards her goal. Then she turned, feeling her way into nothingness. It was like slipping through a veil between worlds, and though she felt the shame and disgust in using her powers, she also felt a rush of pure energy. Evil though it may have been, she felt… alive.

The world around her was fading to black when she heard the man burst in. His yell of shock reverberated in her ears as she vanished—

And the world swam back into focus. She crumpled to the ground and waited for the sick feeling to wear off as she observed her surroundings.

She was in a dark passage between two houses, somewhere in the London suburbs. She had been here once before, right after she had come to the city, and a woman had given her a fast-food burger. Later, she had slept under the steps of the house, sheltered from the rain. She didn't know why her mind had taken her here, but it seemed as good a place as any to lay low, at least until she could figure out her next move.

Those people… how had they found her? Years ago, when she was first on the run, they had tracked her down constantly, forcing her to move around. She had fully expected to stay with Rafe's gang no longer than a month. But they had left her alone for a year. She thought they had given up. How had they found her, and why?

Marley shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. For early August, it was cold and drizzly. Just the worst sort of weather to be out on the streets in. And she had forgotten to grab her jacket at Rafe's. Her hand reached for the cold metal around her throat. Realizing that there was no need to hide it from Rafe's greedy hands any longer, and so she could get the freezing silver off of her neck, Marley pulled the chain of the locket she always wore over her head. She lightly touched the engraved initial on the face of the locket, and then tucked it into the pocket of her jeans.

She didn't know how long she sat there. She would need to go get food eventually, but she was exhausted. She must have dozed off, as she came to with a start. Something was down the alleyway.

She stiffened. A noise, like a rattling sound, was coming from the end of the alley. She slowly crept forward, on edge and poised to run. Had they found her already?

Two yellow eyes peered from the gloom. Marley almost shrieked, and then felt foolish. It was a cat.

The cat carefully stepped out of the shadows and look almost appraisingly at Marley. For some reason, Marley felt judged. Then the cat walked over to Marley and purred, rubbing its head against her legs. Marley cautiously bent down and rubbed the cat's ears. She noticed the cat had strange markings around its eyes, like glasses on a human. When she bent to pick up the cat, however, it removed itself from her grip in a dignified manner, and moved to the opposite wall, where it continued to stare at her.

"Suit yourself, then," Marley huffed, and sat down against her wall. Just before she dozed off again, she felt the cat spring into her lap.

**A/N: Please review! Even critical comments make me feel recognized.**


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